ENG vs NZ: Nasser Hussain Ranks Joe Root Ahead of Graham Gooch, Alastair Cook

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has put flamboyant cricketer Joe Root ahead of superstars such as Graham Gooch, Alastair Cook, David Gower, and Kevin Pietersen, claiming the 31-year-old takes the game to “extraordinary levels under tough situations.” 

After Cook, Root is the only Englishman to score more than 10,000 Test runs. He has been instrumental in England’s unassailable 2-0 lead over New Zealand in the three-Test series presently underway. 

Root hit an unbeaten 115 in the first Test at Lord’s, which the hosts won by five wickets, and then a match-defining 176 in the first innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge, which the Ben Stokes-led side won by the same margin. 

Joe Root Has Gone To The Top Now: Nasser Hussain

During the series, the former England Test captain became only the 14th player to reach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. Since the beginning of 2021, he has achieved ten Test hundreds. Nasser Hussain believes Root will soon pass Cook as England’s all-time leading Test run-getter if he continues to amass runs at his current rate. 

“I’m selecting from those I have seen and, yes, Joe Root has gone to the top now,” Hussain told the Daily Mail.  

“He has just taken his game to exceptional levels in difficult circumstances over the past 18 months. 

“Joe has this great rhythm and looks to score all the time in a beautifully controlled way. Now he is regularly converting half-centuries into three figures, he will go on to break Sir Alastair Cook’s England record and who knows how many others.” 

Graham Gooch Second On Nasser Hussain’s List

Nasser Hussain ranked Gooch second after Root, calling him a “tough, over-my-dead-body hitter” who was “ahead of his time.” On Hussain’s list, Cook ranks third after Good, with the former skipper complimenting his mental toughness as “second to none.” 

“I’d heard about his timing and seen him on TV but then I played against him at Leicestershire and he just leant on one and before I moved at cover point it hit the boundary,” said Hussain about Cook. 

Nasser Hussain praised Pietersen, calling the cricketer-turned-commentator “very entertaining.” 

“That Twitter account, KP Genius, summed up Kevin Pietersen because that’s what he was. He would play remarkable innings and would target the opposition’s best bower.” 

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